Teenagers’ wellbeing seems to have little effect on GCSE performance

GCSEs being taken - Pupils who feel particularly joyful do not do any better in their GCSEs than their peers who do not feel as happy, according to UCL research led by Professor John Jerrim. The peer-reviewed study, published in Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, analysed data from 4,000 pupils aged 15 and 16 in England from PISA (Programme of International Assessment) 2018. In the sample, Year 11 pupils were asked how often they usually felt happy, lively, joyful, cheerful, or proud using a four-point scale of never to always. Their responses were divided into three groups: low levels of wellbeing (the least happy 20%), high levels of wellbeing (the happiest 20%) and those who were in-between. Professor Jerrim then compared the GCSE results of these three groups to investigate the link between wellbeing and exam performance. Professor Jerrim (UCL Social Research Institute based at IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society) said: "This academic year we are due to see the return of GCSE examinations after a Covid-enforced two-year hiatus. Before the pandemic hit, there was much concern about how these high-stakes examinations may be affecting young people's mental health.